xoxo, Betty and Veronica: In Each Other's Shoes

by Adrianne Ambrose

“That was so nice of her,” Betty said to herself. “I’m feeling better about the fashion show already.”

  Chapter 9

  No more than ten seconds after Ginger left the library, Veronica sauntered up to Betty’s table. “Hey,” she said, plunking down her books. “Ready to talk about a theme for the show? I was thinking romance.”

  “Oh.” Betty looked thoughtful. “Wasn’t that the theme of last year’s show?”

  “Not at all,” Veronica informed her. “Last year, the theme was love. But a lot of people didn’t get it. The show wasn’t supposed to be about love between people or anything, it was supposed to be about the love of shoes.”

  “Well,” Betty hedged, “I’m thinking we should go with something completely new, but, you know, cutting edge.”

  “Okay.” Veronica sat down and pulled out a notebook. “I wrote down some other ideas.” Flipping to the right page, she said, “Oh, here. You’ll love this. What about the law of the jungle? Everything could be animal prints and tropical flowers.”

  Betty wrinkled her nose. “Not my favorite.”

  “Geek chic?”

  “Um . . . I’m not feeling it.”

  “Well, fine.” Veronica slammed down her notebook. “What do you think would make a good theme?”

  Betty took a deep breath. “I’m thinking the show should be about the environment. You know, make it a green theme.”

  “Green?” Veronica said, unable to stop herself from executing an extreme eye roll. “It’s a fashion show, not Earth Day.”

  “Yeah, I know, but just because it’s fashion doesn’t mean it can’t be, you know, environmentally friendly,” Betty tried to explain.

  Veronica felt a small, burning knot in the pit of her stomach. She was megaexcited about the fashion show. It really was the most important event of the year, and if there was any justice in the world, she would be running it. And now her best friend was trying to turn it into something stupid. It was supposed to be about the true beauty that is fashion. “Betty,” she said very slowly. “Not everything has to have a deep social meaning attached to it. Some things can just be about fun and a passion for clothes and stuff. It’s already for charity. Isn’t that enough?”

  “Well, sure,” Betty tried to reassure her, but what she was secretly thinking was that Veronica may be Riverdale High’s most fashionable student, but she didn’t have the inside scoop straight from Sparkle Magazine. “It’s just . . . I really think being green is going to be the next huge fashion trend. I mean, just because someone’s a couture designer, doesn’t mean they don’t care about the earth.”

  “Um . . . I guess that could be true.” Veronica felt forced to agree, even though the core of her being raged against it. “But I think fashion designers are more about giving to green causes rather than actually making their designs environmentally friendly.” The school bell rang, indicating the end of the period. Both girls got to their feet. “Okay, well, let’s talk about this after school.”

  “But we’re doing the newspaper meeting after school,” Betty reminded her.

  “Oh yeah. I forgot. But, come on, picking a theme for the fashion show is way important.”

  “Getting the next issue of The Blue and Gold out is important, too,” Betty snapped.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry,” Veronica said as they headed for the library exit. “Let’s talk about the show after the meeting.”

  “Okay, fine,” Betty agreed. As she hurried down the hall to her next class, she couldn’t help but wonder why Veronica was so against an environmental theme. If anyone in the school should have an inkling about the coming trends in fashion, Betty assumed it would be her best friend.

  “Hi,” Ginger said as Veronica strolled into her history class.

  Veronica gave the girl a suspicious look. “What’s going on? Are you getting ready to call me a cheater again or what?”

  Ginger gave her a sheepish grin. “No, I’m over that now. And I’m sorry. I just really got excited about the paper, and I was megadisappointed I didn’t win. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

  “I wish you did win,” Veronica said, half to herself as she plunked down in the desk next to Ginger’s. “Then I wouldn’t have to exhaust myself putting the thing together.”

  “Don’t you want to be on the paper?”

  “Um, sure.” Veronica rolled her eyes. “Who doesn’t?”

  “Well,” Ginger conceded, “it is a little dry, I guess. I mean, the whole thing could probably use an overhaul, if you know what I mean.”

  Veronica glanced sideways at the girl. “Not really.”

  “I mean, it’s just kind of . . .” She searched for the right word. “Old-fashioned. I mean, who actually reads the thing? That’s why I wanted to be editor in chief so bad. I was going to give The Blue and Gold a face-lift, a tune-up, and a whole new attitude.”

  “What kind of attitude?” Veronica asked, but she said it quietly because the teacher was about to start class.

  Ripping a piece of paper out of her notebook, Ginger scribbled something across the top, folded it, and then lobbed it onto Veronica’s desk. Unfolding the note, Veronica read a single word. Tabloid! Sticking a question mark after it, she slipped the note back onto Ginger’s desk. A few seconds later, the paper was returned. This time Ginger had added to the one word. The entire note read, “Tabloid!? Would be fabulous! Talk after class.”

  Veronica was usually pretty good at paying attention during history. The class was studying Attila the Hun, and she had to admit, he was a pretty fascinating guy. But Ginger’s note got her brain buzzing. What if she did add a little more spice to The Blue and Gold? Not a full-on scandal sheet or anything like that, but a little school gossip would probably help circulation. There could also be an advice column, fashion dos and don’ts, a horoscope, all kinds of stuff. In fact, the more Veronica thought about it, the more excited she became. She was the editor in chief, after all. There was no reason she had to stick with the same old boring format The Blue and Gold had been doing since 1942. She could be an innovator and remake the whole paper.

  By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of history class, Veronica’s head was full of ideas. Ginger caught up with her in the hallway. “So,” Ginger began, “like I was saying about, you know, pepping up the paper a little bit.”

  “Oh, I think making the paper more like a tabloid is an awesome idea!” Veronica enthused.

  “You do?” Ginger seemed a little surprised.

  “Definitely! I mean, why stick with fussy and boring?”

  “That’s my point exactly,” Ginger told her.

  “I really can’t thank you enough, Ginger. I mean, I was really floundering, trying to figure out what to do with the paper, and then you’re here with such a genius idea. There could be an advice column and something on fashion and even a little gossip just about who’s dating who,” Veronica gushed. “The paper’s going to be great! You really saved me!”

  “Oh, don’t even think of giving me the credit,” Ginger urged her. “I just had the tabloid idea, but it sounds like you’ve really taken off with it. I don’t even feel like it’s my idea anymore. All of the credit should go to you.”

  “No! Really?”

  “I insist,” Ginger told her. “The paper is your baby now. You’ve got to run with it.”

  “Wow! That’s so nice of you. I really appreciate it.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” Ginger gave her a tight, little smile. “Seriously, don’t ever mention it.”

  Chapter 10

  Veronica was more excited for her first newspaper meeting as editor in chief than she could have imagined. Sure, half The Blue and Gold staff was furious that she was in charge, but most of them had voiced their grievances to Principal Weatherbee and had been shut down.

  There was no way around it. If they wanted to keep working on the paper, then they had to accept that Veronica was in charge. Even so, she was glad Betty would be there with her to smooth the way.


  She really would have preferred running the fashion show, but she figured she might as well make the best of it. And now that she had her tabloid idea, the prospect of working on the paper seemed a lot brighter.

  “Ready to guide me through the rough waters of my first newspaper meeting?” she asked, sliding up to Betty’s locker at the end of the day.

  “You know it.” Betty smiled. “Some of the kids were a little grumpy at first, but I think everything is going to be fine. And besides, like I said, Larry assigned a lot of the stories before he left. There isn’t a ton for you to do at the moment.”

  “I think things are going to be better than fine. I came up with some really cool ideas to update The Blue and Gold.”

  Betty closed her locker and cocked an eyebrow at her friend. “Really? Like what?”

  Together they headed down the hall toward the newspaper office. “Well, first of all, I think it might be fun to have a fashion column. You know, tips on what to wear and what’s totally out of style.”

  “Oh.” Betty thought about it. “That might be good . . . I mean, as long as it was positive and not being too judgmental or mean to anyone.”

  Veronica restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Betty was always concerned about everybody’s feelings, which was great, but sometimes she took it a bit too far. “Okay, point taken. I was also thinking—” But before she could continue, Kevin Keller tugged on her sleeve.

  “There you guys are. Everybody’s waiting for the first official staff meeting with Ronnie in charge. Get a move on.” He dashed off down the hall.

  “I guess we’d better get in there,” Betty said, increasing her pace. “But I really want to hear your other ideas.”

  Veronica shrugged. “I guess you can hear them when everyone else does. Let’s go.”

  Kevin, Chuck, Nancy, Ginger, and about a dozen other students were sitting around the newspaper office, chatting. Everyone fell silent as soon as Betty and Veronica walked in the room. Veronica could practically feel the stink eye from half the room. Betty must have felt it, too, because she immediately said, “Come on, guys. Don’t look so sour. Everything’s going to be fine. In fact, everything’s going to be great. Veronica’s going to bring some fresh ideas to the paper, and I’m sure these last two issues of the year are going to be two of the best.” People loosened up a little and appeared to be slightly more receptive, so Betty turned to Veronica and said, “Okay, you’re in charge. Let’s hear your idea.”

  “Thanks, Betty.” Veronica stepped forward. “Um, I know this is a little weird because of the voting mix-up, but as most of you have figured out, Mr. Weatherbee is being absolutely stubborn about it.” Everyone nodded in agreement, so she continued. “At first I was kind of freaked out about it, too, but then I figured I might as well make the best out of it. And then the more I thought about it, the more I got excited about breathing some new life into The Blue and Gold.”

  “Uh, excuse me,” Alison Adams called from the back of the room. “Just what exactly was wrong with The Blue and Gold’s old life? I mean, I thought some of the issues we put out this year were pretty good.”

  “That’s right,” Kim Wong added, brushing her straight black hair out of her eyes. “So you’ve never worked on the paper, but you have a problem with what we’re doing?”

  “No, that’s not what I said,” Veronica replied, feeling a bit flustered. “I just meant that sometimes a little change is good, and maybe if we give the paper a face-lift, we can improve ad sales and increase readership.”

  Kim folded her arms. “I think things are pretty fine the way they are right now. There’s no reason to change anything.”

  “Yeah,” Alison added.

  “Hold up, ladies.” Kevin lifted both of his hands in a placating gesture. “Let’s just hear what Veronica has to say. Maybe she has some good ideas.” He turned to face her. “Go ahead, Ronnie.”

  “Okay,” she said a bit hesitantly. “My first idea is that we make the paper a little more topical. Just some light gossip, like who’s dating who and where people are going on their summer vacations. If they’re going someplace cool, of course. That kind of thing.” No one said anything so she kept going. “And I thought maybe we could have an advice column, if students wanted to write in. Also, like, horoscopes maybe and a style column and . . .” She drifted off. The stares from the writers were not receptive. Not receptive at all.

  Chapter 11

  There were several long seconds of silence, and then Alison jumped to her feet. “Are you crazy? You want to turn The Blue and Gold into some trashy scandal magazine!”

  “No!” Veronica protested. “I don’t want to make it a scandal magazine. I just want to drag it into the twenty-first century. You know, make it something people might actually want to read.”

  “Plenty of people read The Blue and Gold!” Kim joined the fight.

  “Oh yeah?” Veronica put her hands on her hips defiantly. “Name three. And you can’t count anyone that actually works on the paper.”

  That stalled Kim for the moment, but Alison was furious. “I knew this would happen! I knew it! We take a lot of pride in our school paper, and now you just want to come in and ruin it! You weren’t even elected to be editor in chief!”

  On some level, Veronica knew Kim was right. She wasn’t elected editor in chief, and she knew next to nothing about the paper. Still, she thought her ideas were really good, and her ego felt a little scorched that Kim rejected them so severely. Unfortunately, she let that part of her brain get the best of her. “But I am editor in chief!” Veronica shouted right back.

  “Veronica.” Kim lowered her voice, but held firm. “Either I get to do my article about the school’s dress code, which was approved by Larry before he left, or I’m walking.”

  Veronica folded her arms and nodded toward the exit. Kim was out the door like a shot with Alison hard on her heels. “Anyone else?” she asked. Two guys got up and nervously shuffled out of the room. Nancy got to her feet, but Chuck stayed where he was. “Sorry, honey, but I need the experience of having my comics in print,” he explained. Then, after glancing apprehensively in Veronica’s direction, he added in a lower voice, “No matter how bad the paper turns out to be.”

  “B-b-b-ut,” Nancy stuttered, “this is something we were supposed to do together.”

  “Then stay here and do it with me.” He gave her a broad grin, his teeth looking extra white in contrast with his cocoa-colored skin.

  Nancy had a moment of mental conflict and then sat back down. “Oh, all right,” she capitulated. “Veronica,” she called across the room, “if you’re serious about this change, I’ll do the horoscopes. But I want to do the article that Larry and I agreed on, too.”

  “Fantastic,” Veronica said, feeling a small wave of relief. Not everyone was going to immediately stomp out the door. It didn’t really matter if she took in a few boring articles along with the new ones. She could always pull any extra articles she didn’t feel like using when it was time to go to press. Veronica took a sideways glance at Betty and then wished she hadn’t. Her best friend’s face was the bright red of anger. There was practically steam coming out of her ears. “Uh-oh,” Veronica whispered under her breath. Betty was obviously not thrilled with the new direction in which the editor in chief had decided to steer The Blue and Gold.

  “Ronnie,” Betty said through clenched teeth, “can I speak to you in private for a minute?” She grabbed her best friend by the wrist and practically dragged her into the hall. “What are you doing?” she demanded in a loud hiss as soon as she had yanked shut the door to the newspaper office.

  Wrenching her hand out of Betty’s iron grip, Veronica said, “I’m updating the paper. Just like I said.”

  “You’re not updating it. You’re giving it a total overhaul.”

  Veronica shrugged. “I’m just trying to do what I think it needs to make it actually successful.”

  “It is successful!” Betty fumed.

  “I mean success
ful with people who aren’t total geeks.”

  Betty took a few steps backward. “Is that what this is about? You think the paper isn’t cool enough for you to be a part of it?”

  “Um . . .” Veronica hedged.

  “I see. So rather than learn what it’s all about, you want to just change it all to suit your tastes?”

  “Well . . .”

  Betty glared at her friend, her hands on her hips. “Listen, I know you’d rather do something superficial, like run the fashion show, but you’re editor in chief, and it would be nice if you didn’t ruin the paper for the rest of us.”

  “Why do you even care?” Veronica fired back. “You’ll be too busy ruining the fashion show to worry about me transforming the paper into something cool people will actually want to read.”

  “I assume by cool you actually mean shallow.”

  “Listen, Betty, the fashion show is for charity. It at least does some good for people instead of bore them to sleep.”

  “Which charity?” Betty snarled.

  Veronica was thrown for a moment. She honestly didn’t know which charity the show was supporting. That part had never interested her, so she had never bothered to ask. “I . . . ,” she floundered. “Well . . . that doesn’t matter. No one’s going to get any money with you in charge. How can you possibly think people are going to want to go to a fashion show about recycling?”

  “It’s for the children’s hospital! Which does matter. A lot. And besides, I never said the theme was going to be about recycling. I said I wanted it to be about the environment.”

  “It can’t be about the environment. That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard!” Veronica was practically shouting.

  “You know, Veronica, you’re not the last word in fashion.”

  Veronica let out a derisive snort. “I am in this town!”

  “You’re not the only one who knows about fashion in Riverdale,” Betty told her. “Not even close.”

  “Oh.” Veronica folded her arms and cocked her head to the side. “And I suppose you think you’ve got the four-one-one on fashion.”